Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Gurabo

For one person, living is cheaper in Gurabo: $1,207 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Gurabo
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Gurabo Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Gurabo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Gurabo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in Gurabo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,207 in Gurabo, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Gurabo $1,207

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,854 in Gurabo, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Gurabo $1,854

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,502 in Gurabo, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Gurabo $2,502

Rio de Janeiro costs about 7% more than Gurabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Gurabo are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Gurabo 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.19 $10.19

-1.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$64.0 $64.0

-36.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.24 $9.24

-7.47%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.97 $2.97

-19.87%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.52 $1.52

5.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.97 $0.97

6.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.07 $3.07

-19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.53 $3.53

4.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.21 $2.21

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.97 $2.97

-30.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.42 $2.42

-47.11%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$5.12 $5.12

-55.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$12.47 $12.47

-13.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.53 $9.53

-53.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.34 $13.34

-26.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.94 $4.94

-43.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.15 $2.15

-17.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.80 $4.80

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.68 $4.68

-61.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.74 $3.74

-67.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$4.05 $4.05

-74.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.40 $3.40

-77.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.63 $1.63

-58.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$12.16 $12.16

-75.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.24 $10.24

-21.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.77 $1.77

-32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.55 $2.55

-1.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.55 $2.55

-52.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.47 $1.47

-37.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$42.84 $42.84

-79.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.97 $0.97

34.02%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.9K R$121.0K

$40.3K $40.3K

-40.80%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.9K R$166.6K

$28.0K $28.0K

17.45%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$133 R$676

$324 $324

-58.84%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.82 R$54.8

$68.7 $68.7

-84.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$69.6 $69.6

-67.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$9.84 $9.84

212.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.49 $10.49

-23.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$598 R$3,029

$833 $833

-28.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.8K $12.8K

5.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$57.1 $57.1

-26.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$60.8 $60.8

-18.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$107 $107

-30.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$114 $114

-39.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.55

82.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gurabo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Gurabo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Gurabo

$374 31% 74.3% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Gurabo

$462 38.3% 177% $295

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Gurabo

$177 14.7% 7.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Gurabo

$153 12.6% 44.3% $47

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Gurabo

$9.9 * 0.8% 83.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Gurabo

$31 2.6% 34.3% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $64.0 in Gurabo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $374 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Gurabo

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

45,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Gurabo 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Gurabo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rio de Janeiro vs Gurabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 7% more than Gurabo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,810 in Gurabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $64.0 in Gurabo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 74% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Gurabo, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Gurabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gurabo costs $1,207 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Gurabo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.